The Most Dangerous of All
by Julesyo
Summary: Artemis has moved on from fairies... to vampires and werewolves. The Cullens and the pack have met their match- in a 14 year old boy. A boy with the capacity to start a war between himself and 3 groups of magical creatures. After TP/During Eclipse
1. The Boy Genius

**ok, so i've recently started obsessing over Artemis Fowl and i just had to do a crossover! Twilight isn't exactly my favourite book, but Harry Potter's a bit overdone, so i thought I'd try something new!  
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_**"**__**I'm not afraid of werewolves or vampires or haunted hotels, I'm afraid of what real human beings do..." -Walter Jon Williams**_

**Chapter 1**

The bell rang and a few more students hurried into the classroom before the teacher closed the door. Bella was one of such students.

She spotted Edward right away from the other side of the classroom. Of course, that wasn't a very incredible feat. You could spot him a mile away in a crowd of people- he was just one of those people that stood out.

Perhaps it was the pale skin, or his striking gold eyes. Maybe it was the fact that he was just simply- beautiful in every imaginable way. And all of it, as amazing as it may sound, belonged to the comparatively normal Bella Swan.

She willed herself not to stare at Edward, as she would surely trip if she did. As Bella took her usual seat next to him and as he turned to smile at her, she couldn't help but notice a rather contemplative expression that had been on his face a moment ago.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly as their teacher tried to get the class under control. The vampire merely shook his head.

"It's nothing. Alice just had a vision, that's all..."

"A vision? What was it? Are we in danger?"

Edward laughed and leaned forward to brush a strand of hair out of Bella's face. For a moment, she had to remind herself to breathe, then blinked a few times and regained control over herself.

"Stop trying to distract me," she said. "What did Alice see?"

Again, Edward smiled. "I'm sorry, I was merely laughing because you always assume the worst," he told her. "Listen to the teacher. She's going to make an announcement. That's what Alice saw."

Bella relaxed. It was true, she always assumed the worst. Still, after everything she'd been through, one couldn't really blame her. Taking Edward's advice, she turned her attention towards the teacher.

"Everybody listen up!" the teacher ordered. The class finally settled down and she cleared her throat. "Today I'm very pleased to welcome a new student to our class. He comes from Ireland, so please be considerate towards him."

The last part was hardly heard over the sudden whispering of all the students. A new student coming here was unusual. In fact, Bella wouldn't be surprised if it made the front page of tomorrow morning's newspaper.

"Is that what you saw?" Bella asked her neighbour. Edward nodded, all traces of a smile gone.

The class then quieted down suddenly in anticipation as the door opened. A boy who looked like he could be a freshman entered their grade eleven class.

The first thing Bella noticed was that he was extremely pale, just like herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Edward frowning slightly. She assumed he was reading the new student's mind. He, like everyone else, was observing the stranger. She felt sympathetic towards this boy. She knew what it was like to be the new kid- she'd experienced it not too long ago.

The student was skinny, with neat black hair. He walked over to the teacher with his head held up high and handed her a slip. Although he looked much too young to be in their class, his presence more than made up for it. If Bella had to describe his aura, it would be like that of a no-nonsense boss. He definitely looked like he was used to being in charge.

The teacher signed the slip with an encouraging smile to the new student, which he didn't return. She then turned to the class and Bella cringed inwardly. She remembered exactly how it felt to be introduced to a classroom in Forks. It was horribly embarrassing.

"Class, this is Artemis Fowl, a student from Ireland. He's top in his class back there, so I hope you can all learn something from him."

"That's a bit of an understatement," murmured Edward with his eyebrows raised.

"What?" asked Bella.

"His IQ…" Edward started, and then shook his head. "I'll tell you later."

The student didn't even try to smile. He looked rather like he smelled something pungent in the class that he was trying to ignore.

"Artemis, you can take the seat across from Edward over there," the teacher said encouragingly, pointing to where he should take his place.

Artemis walked over to his desk silently with twenty-something pairs of eyes following him. His own eyes had been scanning the rows of students, but now they rested on Edward.

"Hello," he greeted Edward with a polite nod as he sat down in his seat. The teacher continued with her lesson and some of the initial excitement of having a new student died down in the classroom.

Edward didn't have an open, friendly look on his face. On the contrary, he looked a little frightening if you didn't know him.

"Hello, Artemis Fowl," Edward replied just as politely. "Welcome to Forks. What brings you to our town?"

"Research," answered Artemis simply. Neither he nor Edward said another word for the entire period. No one else tried to approach Artemis during class as well. Bella noticed he had a sort of frigid air around him. Just looking at him made her shiver. Whenever she did, Edward would lean further away from her so she wouldn't be as cold, not knowing that she was feeling quite warm body-temperature wise.

Although Artemis and Edward didn't even look at each other for the rest of the period, Bella could almost feel the tenseness between the two. Once or twice, she nearly tried to make conversation with the latter, but he looked like he was concentrating on something so she stopped herself.

She was relieved when the lunch bell rang and Edward finally looked at her with a fake smile that she noticed right away. The two of them walked out of class together and once they were in the hall, Bella interrogated Edward.

"Well?" she demanded.

"Well what?" Edward said with all the innocence he could muster.

"What's with the new kid that's got you so worried?"

"Worried? I was merely trying to decipher his thought process, that's all."

Bella raised an eyebrow.

"We are _so_ talking about this later," she said. "For now, let's get some lunch."

"Yes, of course," Edward said with a straight face, although he felt like laughing at her tone of voice.

When Bella got her lunch (Edward didn't even bother that day), the two of them sat down with Alice, Angela and Ben. Alice was giving herself a temple massage and appeared to be in pain. Edward looked at her concernedly.

"What's wrong, Alice?" Bella asked.

"She's got a headache," Angela answered for her. "Do you want some Advil?" she added to the spiky-haired girl on her left.

Alice shook her head silently. Everyone ate in silence for a while, not wanting to make Alice's headache even worse. It didn't make much of a difference: the cafeteria was still very busy and loud.

Then the new boy came in. The cafeteria's volume suddenly dropped a hundred levels and whispering filled it. Artemis strode in like nothing was wrong and ignored them all. Everyone watched as he bought his lunch and some stared shamelessly and pointed their fingers at him.

Bella noticed Alice peeking out a glare at the new boy that mimicked the one on Edward's face.

"Aw, he looks so lost," Angela said, ever the kindred spirit. "Let's invite him here." In Bella's opinion, he looked anything but lost. He still looked as confident as ever.

As Artemis walked by their table, Angela waved him down.

"Hey, do you want to sit with us for lunch?" Angela said. Ben nodded in agreement. Neither of them noticed the almost horrified looks on the vampire's faces.

Artemis's eyes flickered towards Alice and Edward.

"Thank you, that is very kind of you," Artemis responded. He took his tray and sat down at their table. "My name is Artemis Fowl. And you are...?"

"I'm Angela, and this is Ben, my boyfriend," Angela said with a kind smile. "There's Bella, her boyfriend Edward, and his sister Alice. Sorry, am I going too fast?"

"Not at all. In fact, I've already met Edward," Artemis told her, once again locking eyes with said vampire and giving him a small smile.

Bella didn't know whether it was supposed to be friendly or intimidating, but the new kid's smile made her feel like she was looking into the face of a blood-thirsty vampire. Could he be...?

No, he couldn't be a vampire. Edward would definitely not have allowed him to sit at their table if he was. Besides, his eyes were clearly blue, though one seemed to be a different shade than the other. Was he wearing a contact lens on one eye? She couldn't be sure.

"So what do you think of Forks so far, Artemis?" Ben asked him.

Artemis hesitated for a moment and out of the corner of her eye, Bella saw Edward wince- presumably at Artemis's train of thought.

"It's very… quaint," Artemis said at last. Edward smirked, knowing what the genius had really been thinking.

"Say, Fowl, what are you doing after school today?" Edward asked suddenly. _What is he thinking?_ Bella wondered.

Artemis cocked up an eyebrow but his face remained otherwise neutral.

"Nothing of earth-shattering importance," he said. "Is there a reason for your asking?"

Bella noticed Artemis was speaking similarly to Edward at the moment. Emotionless, adult-like, sophisticated... It made her feel a bit left out.

"Would you like Alice, Bella and I to give you a tour around Forks?" Edward offered, not impolitely. He turned to Angela and Ben. "I would invite you two as well, but you're going to the movies tonight, aren't you?"

Angela nodded a little sadly, as though she wanted to come along too.

"We're watching 'Assassin Ninja II'!" Ben said eagerly. "The graphics are top-of-the-line and-"

Ben continued blabbering on about the action movie of the year while Angela stared at him with an amused expression on her face. Meanwhile, Artemis seemed to be considering Edward's offer while Alice kicked her brother underneath the table, though Bella didn't know why.

"Will Bella be coming for sure?" Artemis asked, looking at her. Edward also glanced at her to see her nodding her head. Artemis sat in silence for another moment, then also nodded. "Very well then. However, would you mind if my bodyguard came along as well?" Edward, having read Artemis's mind, scoffed before he'd even finished his sentence. Artemis pretended not to notice. "He's very, ah, over-protective."

"A bodyguard?" Ben said in disbelief. "You have a bodyguard?"

Bella could have sworn that for a moment, Artemis looked extremely ticked-off at having to repeat himself. The look vanished, however, very quickly.

"Yes, but all he really does at the moment is take care of me. My parents are back at Ireland, so they hired him to keep me out of trouble," Artemis lied easily. Edward's eyes narrowed, having seen the truth in Artemis's mind. Artemis continued, "He hardly counts as an actual bodyguard. I've never been in a situation where I've had a need for him."

"Still..." Angela said in awe.

As Artemis finished, flashes of images popped up in his head of the _many_ times Butler had saved his life. Many of these memories included the People. And Edward saw them all. He didn't necessarily comprehend each one, but he could still see them.

"Your bodyguard can come," Edward said. One human bodyguard against two vampires wasn't worrying at all, no matter how skilled he might be. "We'll meet at my house at 4 o'clock." Edward wrote down the address on a napkin and passed it to Artemis. He pocketed the napkin, eyes still locked with Edward's.

"I'll be there," he responded. The bell rang, and Artemis got up to throw away his lunch. He hadn't eaten a bite.

"You didn't eat any of your lunch," commented Bella. She knew he couldn't be one, but her heart skipped a beat all the same at this vampire-like trait.

"Nor did the Cullens," Artemis said. With that, he threw everything on his tray into the trash and walked out of the cafeteria. Bella stared after him for a while, then as she joined Edward to head to their next class, she realized something.

How did he know their last name?

00000

As soon as they were in the Volvo, Bella turned to Edward, who had been previously looking out the window. He had been staring at a shiny SUV with darkened windows that stood out from the other cars. It was driven by none other than Artemis's bodyguard and its passenger was none other than Artemis Fowl himself. It was attracting quite a lot of stares in the parking lot.

"So are you guys going to tell me everything or what?" she said.

Edward sighed. "What do you need to know?" He started up the car and it roared to life.

"First of all, why does Alice have a headache?"

"It's that new kid," Alice growled, head buried in her hands. "He doesn't stop changing the future!"

"Care to elaborate a little more?"

Edward explained in her place. "Remember how the teacher said that Fowl was the top in his class back in Ireland?" Bella nodded. "The reason I thought that was an understatement was because he's not just top in his class. His IQ is the highest in Europe. During class, I was trying to pick up his train of thought, but it's very difficult. He's almost like a vampire, able to think about several different things at the same time. His thoughts are always changing and planning. From what I saw, however, I think we can conclude that he doesn't exactly have the best character."

"So why did you invite him to your house?" Bella asked, a little shocked. Highest IQ in Europe? That would explain why he looked too young to be in twelfth grade.

At this point, Edward's eyes narrowed. "I _did_ manage to get the gist of his thoughts…" He hesitated.

"Stop doing that! Just finish your sentence already!" Bella insisted.

"Well… It appears he knows about vampires. He knows, in particular, about us." Both Alice and Bella were surprised to hear this, though Alice got over it almost immediately.

"I thought so," she said grimly. "Out of the millions of possible plans that he thought of, they were all related in some way- I just didn't know what it was at the time. Besides money and gold, of course."

"Yes, his thoughts certainly kept going back to wealth," agreed Edward with a small smirk. They sat in silence for a few minutes with the occasional complaint from Alice in the back.

"He's- not a vampire, right?" Bella said finally.

Edward stared at her with a shocked expression. "Vampire? Of course not. He's completely and utterly human. Not that that makes him any less dangerous… I suppose I could see where you would get that idea from. He _is_ rather pale for a human, and he didn't eat anything for lunch. But that was because the food wasn't up to his standards."

Bella had known the answer, but it made her feel better to hear it from Edward's mouth. Then she thought of something else.

"Also, he was wearing contact lenses…"

"Just one, actually," Edward corrected her.

"Yeah, that's what I meant. Do you know why?"

Edward shook his head. "I'm assuming tonight we're going to get a lot of questions and answers. We'll ask him then."

They pulled into the large driveway of the Cullen property in record time. Edward had taken advantage of the fact that Bella had been absorbed in the conversation and had driven at full speed.

"Wait, why are we here?" Bella asked. She hadn't noticed where they'd been heading. "Charlie's going to have a fit-"

"I already called Charlie," Alice said. "As far as he's concerned, we're going to the movies tonight and then to dinner. Don't worry," she added at the look on Bella's face. "He already ordered pizza for himself."

They opened their doors and entered the house. They had to warn the other Cullens about the latest threat. It was human. And it went by the name of Artemis Fowl.

00000

Butler approached the door of Artemis's temporary study. They were staying in a mansion- not nearly as large as the Fowl Manor, of course- which Artemis had ordered to be built half a year ago on a private lot of land that no one was using at the time. It contained seven secret passageways, two underground bunkers, and about twenty five different rooms. It was rather small and not quite elegant enough for Artemis's tastes, but it would have to do. Besides, the main purpose of the building was not for luxury or fancy architecture- it was for his research on vampires.

Based on what Artemis had been able to find out as of yet, he knew vampires were physically very beautiful, in order to seduce their prey. They also had very sensitive eyesight, sense of smell and hearing, as well as incredible strength. One could go as far as to call them the 'perfect being'.

Butler knocked on the wooden door.

"Enter."

When he opened the door, Butler saw his young charge at his laptop, as usual, typing up a recount of his findings that day.

"There is still an hour yet before we should depart for the Cullen's, Butler," Artemis said without looking up from the screen. "Is there a reason why you have come to see me?"

"Sir," Butler started, and then paused. "Artemis. I know it's not in my place to request this, but I'm asking you- not as your bodyguard, but as a friend- if there is any way we could possibly... leave Forks for the time being. I'm not telling you to forget about the vampires completely. Just to... perhaps find another way to observe them. One that won't put you in such danger."

Artemis stopped typing and tapped his chin thoughtfully, as if he were actually considering it.

"I will think it over, old friend, but don't get your hopes up," Artemis replied. "You know as well as I do that this is the most efficient way to get a first-hand experience with this species."

"A firsthand experience is exactly what we _don't_ need," insisted Butler. He adopted a softer tone, one he rarely used. "What if something happens? Your parents just got you back- I don't think they can take you leaving them again."

Artemis sighed, rubbing his temples. "I know perfectly well that you are trying to make me feel guilty, Butler," he said. "However my decision is irreversible. No matter what, I will not turn my back on this opportunity."

Butler nodded, knowing nothing he could say would change his principal's mind. He attempted to hide his expression of disappointment behind his emotionless mask, but Artemis of course noticed anyway.

"Butler," Artemis said quietly. "I could pack up my laptop and walk out that door with you by my side. You would drive us to our private jet and head straight for Ireland. We would make it perhaps in eight hours. I could give up my criminal activities right there and then, following my father's footsteps and use my time instead to create bonds with my family and change the world for the better."

Artemis leaned over and folded his arms carefully on top of the desk. "So what's stopping me Butler? Why don't I simply do these things right now?"

Butler knew it was a rhetorical question and remained silent. He was right.

"Because it simply doesn't interest me," Artemis answered himself, now checking his fingernails for dirt. "If I were to turn my back right now on this, I would never be able to forgive myself. I would spend every waking moment thinking about this missed opportunity and every sleeping moment dreaming about what could have been. Do you understand now? I cannot leave until I have done sufficient research."

"When will that be, sir?"

"It all depends."

"Depends on what?" Butler asked warily.

"Whether or not I survive until the end of the month," Artemis answered calmly.

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**Please review! :) **

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	2. The Vampires

**It's weird... I didn't write once during winter break, but I have four exams this week and for some reason I couldn't stop writing today!**

**Yeah, I'm sure you've noticed i don't update regularly, but I am _planning_ (not set in stone or anything) to update the next two chapters a bit more quickly because they're all kind of boring, and we have to get them over with! :D**

**I've gotten so much great feedback! Thank you so much for the reviews and favs! Don't hesitate to review again :)  
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_**"Unbidden guests Are often welcomest when they are gone." -William Shakespeare**_

**Chapter 2**

At the Cullen's house, the residents were all wearing varied expressions on their faces, ranging from ticked off (Emmett) to genuinely upset (Esme).

"Do you know how he found us out, Edward?" Carlisle asked, his normally friendly and reassuring face replaced with worry and thoughtfulness. "And if he knows about your abilities?"

"Fowl doesn't know about my mind-reading, no," Edward answered. "Nor is he aware of Alice's or Jasper's powers. When he first saw me, he immediately knew who I was, but I hardly had a glimpse of his source of information. His mind changes too quickly."

"I say when he gets here, we tear him to shreds," suggested Emmett casually from the staircase. Rosalie was next to him, stroking his arm.

"Dead men don't tell secrets," she added in agreement.

Edward glanced at Bella, who looked the slightest bit more pale at the thought, and held her hand more firmly, though not uncomfortably so.

"That's just the point, Rosalie," Edward said, shaking his head. "He's not even a man. He looks like a kid- and besides, it would break the treaty with the wolves."

"Ugh, it was just a joke..."

"I looked him up," Alice said suddenly, returning to the room with Jasper at her side. "There was... quite a lot of information about him..."

"And?" prompted Bella.

"This is the last person we want to know about us," Jasper finished. "If there is any human that would be a threat to us, it would be Artemis Fowl. He is seventeen years old and suspected to be involved in hundreds of criminal activities, but I couldn't find any proof against him and I don't think he's ever had to be in court, let alone prison."

_Seventeen? _Bella thought. _But he looks so much younger than us..._

"He's also the heir to the Fowl family fortune," Alice said. "A very rich, well-known family in Ireland. The entire family has been under suspicion for years- we're talking generations here- but they've never been caught. Also, he disappeared off the face of the earth for three years. He only returned half a year ago. No one knows where he went."

The room was silent for a few moments. "So what do we do then?" Bella finally said.

"Perhaps we could convince him to leave," Esme said, looking almost frantic now. "We can give him whatever he wants and-"

Edward was already shaking his head. "Actually, we can't even ask him what he wants from us. He doesn't know that we already know of his plans."

"We can't risk tipping him off about Edward's ability," Jasper agreed. "He'll be curious to know how we know exactly what he's planning, won't he?"

"You're absolutely right," Carlisle realized. "The first thing Fowl would ask us would be how we found out that he knows about us. That would only make our situation worse."

There was another moment of silence as everyone contemplated the situation.

"So do we actually have to give him a tour of Forks?" Alice said in disgust.

Edward shook his head. "I'm sure when Fowl accepted our invitation, a tour of the town was not what he had in mind. I have no doubt that he has prepared something else for tonight. It's too late for us to plan anything. We'll just have to follow his lead."

All the vampires in the room suddenly tensed as they heard two humans in a car starting to pull up on their property. They listened until it was close enough for Bella to hear it too.

"Can you tell what he's thinking right now, Edward?" Carlisle asked.

Edward frowned. "I believe so. For some reason I can pick up his thoughts from farther than normal humans. Perhaps it has something to do with his brain capacity?"

"That's strange," Esme said. "You can usually only hear that far when it's someone's mind you are very familiar with."

"Well, can you tell what he's thinking about?" Rosalie asked him impatiently.

"Earlier, he was thinking about many things I wasn't able to decipher. He has a very difficult mind to read..." Edward said slowly, looking like he was concentrating on the wall opposite him.

"What about right now?"

Bella was surprised to see Edward smirk in amusement. "He thinks a late eighteenth-century fountain would be appropriate for our driveway."

00000

_Minutes earlier..._

"Excuse me?"

"Butler, you know perfectly well what I just said. I don't need to repeat myself."

"So the Cullens know that you're here for vampires?" Butler said. He was driving Artemis to the Cullen's and was having difficulty resisting the impulse to turn the car around right there and then.

Artemis sighed. He knew that his bodyguard wasn't incompetent, he was merely appropriately wary. Still, he didn't like to explain unnecessary things unless he really had to.

"They realize that we know they are vampires, yes. There were several hints," Artemis started.

"Go on."

"Firstly, the Cullens acted extremely hostile towards me for no apparent reason. They had no reaction to my family name, yet they still radiated anger. Secondly, Edward Cullen is not the type of person that would invite a stranger to his house. I could see that in the faces of my other lunch neighbours- Angela and Benjamin, that is. A tour of the town? I suppose that was supposed to be his idea as a joke..."

"You two might just actually get along," Butler said dully.

Artemis ignored him. "As I was saying, he and his 'sister' most likely want to get some answers out of me rather than a tour of the town."

"Or it could be a trap," Butler said darkly. "You'll be at their mercy, in their own house. I hope you have some sort of plan, Artemis."

"You insult me, Butler," Artemis said, though he didn't sound like he cared. "It's apparent that Isabella, who is a human, is in a very serious relationship with Edward Cullen. She'll definitely want to come tonight to their house, and Edward will probably bring her, seeing as we're two harmless humans against at the very least two vampires and there's no way we'd be able to harm her."

Butler tensed. "Don't say it like that, Artemis. I'm already going against all my instincts by bringing you to their house. So what does this Isabella have to do with anything?"

"She has already proven herself very useful," Artemis said. "The fact that she is in a relationship with a Cullen and is still alive speaks volumes on its own... They are 'civilized vampires', if you will."

Butler snorted, but didn't say anything.

"While she is there, the Cullens won't harm me," Artemis continued. "Even if she wasn't present, I doubt they'd harm me anyways. This is a miniscule town, and I'm already known to every citizen here. They would be foolish to raise suspicion." Butler didn't look so sure. You didn't have to be a vampire to want to harm Artemis Fowl.

"So are you going to tell me how they know that you're after vampires?" Butler said.

Artemis frowned. "I have several theories that I thought about in my office. One, in particular, is standing out in my mind. If it's correct, then dealing with the vampires would get much more difficult and complicated."

"That bad?"

"I know for certain that they are aware that I know of them. The question is _how_ they were able to find out."

Butler waited for him to continue, but he didn't elaborate any further.

"And?" Butler prompted.

"I have based this theory on no actual proof," Artemis continued. "I will notify you when I am more than thirty percent certain. Usually I base theories on facts and statistics, however this time it is only an instinctive assumption that I have yet to certify."

"Well that's a comfort," Butler grumbled. "Are you at least going to tell me why we are going to their house?"

"Why, certainly," said Artemis. "We are visiting the Cullens so that we may have a proper conversation. If they answer all my questions, we can probably leave in a couple weeks."

"You can have conversation over the phone, you know," muttered Butler. Somehow, Artemis was able to hear him.

"World leaders don't have conversations of utmost importance over the phone, Butler."

"Well it would make the job of a bodyguard a whole lot easier."

Artemis didn't answer, but stared out the tinted windows as fewer and fewer cars passed by and the tree line gradually grew thicker and thicker. They were getting closer to their destination. Butler looked in his rear-view mirror and noticed a large flashy ring on Artemis's hand.

"You have that with you?" he observed.

Artemis, noticing Butler's gaze, stared at the ring for a moment before answering. The ring was actually his fairy communicator that allowed him to talk with Holly whenever he needed to and vice versa.

"Certainly, though I only turned it on ten minutes ago... Of course, I'm sure Foaly knew where we were anyway," Artemis said. "I will explain the details in due time, Butler. For now let's focus on the matter at hand."

Butler finally pulled into the Cullen's driveway. "Right. Well I hope these so-called civilized vampires don't decide to tear us to shreds, Artemis."

"That's right old friend, think positive," Artemis said absentmindedly._ A late eighteenth-century stone fountain would look splendid right there. _

00000

"I see them, Foaly," Holly notified the centaur back at headquarters. She was flying behind Butler in Artemis in their car, straying to the driver's blind spot, even though she was shielded and there was no way he could have seen her anyway. It never paid to underestimate Butler. "They're pulling into a driveway and- In Frond's name, that is a huge driveway!"

"Focus, Holly," Foaly reminded her through her helmet. "Besides, I hardly think that you've never seen a large driveway before. Remember Minerva Paradizo? Remember Artemis Fowl, the guy you're following?"

"Sorry," Holly said. "I just didn't expect that to be here, of all places. You can see where I am, right? We're in the middle of a forest!"

Foaly paid his friend no attention. "Now let's see... Based on their location, that 'huge driveway' definitely doesn't belong to the mansion where they're staying. I'm guessing this was a planned visit, then."

"Do you think this is why Artemis is here in Forks?" Holly asked.

Foaly shrugged, though he knew Holly couldn't see him. "It's possible that this has something to do with it, though I highly doubt that he built a mansion six months ago just to visit someone."

"You don't think he's causing trouble again, do you?"

Foaly snorted. "Obviously. Don't worry, we'll find out what he's up to."

"He's going straight now," Holly insisted, though only half-heartedly as she remembered that lie he had told her before they had travelled back in time. She had trusted him completely, and he had stabbed her in the back...

"I'm going to get as close as I can to eavesdrop without entering the building," Holly said in hushed tones as she approached the house. She knew her helmet was soundproof so using a quiet voice would make no difference, but the hairs on the back of her neck were prickling in a way that made her feel extremely nervous. She could see Artemis stepping out of the car now. For a moment, she forgot about the mission as she took in her friend's face.

She had only seen him a few months ago during that time fiasco with the lemur, and yet he had changed so much. For one thing, it looked as if he had gotten even paler, if that was possible for him. The bags under his eyes were more pronounced now and already he was noticeably taller than when she had last seen him, though he also looked like he had gotten skinnier as well.

_I suppose the Mud Boy's health has to take a back-seat when plotting intricate plans,_ thought Holly to herself. _Though I can hardly call him a boy anymore..._

Holly frowned at the thought, then shook herself. She was on a mission. She was here to spy on Artemis and find out what he was up to, not to act like a mother hen. Holly flew closer, still shielded, until she was literally only meters away from them. She ducked behind a tree out of paranoia and examined the two men.

As she had been staring at Artemis before, Holly hadn't noticed Butler's expression. She was surprised to see how nervous the bodyguard looked. Once in a while his hand would brush by his gun holster, as if to reassure himself it was still there. His eyes never stopped shifting, and his face was twisted in a sort of grimace.

Holly analyzed all of this as Butler and Artemis walked towards the front door of the house. She pulled out her Neutrino.

_If Butler is scared of something, it would probably be a good idea for me to be prepared,_ she thought; then, _I'm standing under a holly tree. Artemis would probably enjoy that._

Artemis and Butler walked by her tree, but as they did, they both slowed down slightly. Butler had slowed down because he felt a suspicious tingling on his neck. He looked around, but saw nothing.

_Well,_ Butler thought, _if it's a vampire trying to kill us, we're both dead. If it's someone else, they're probably from LEP. In that case, Artemis's plan worked._

Artemis had slowed down because he had seen Butler's reaction. That could only mean Foaly had indeed sent someone to follow them, most likely Holly, and that Butler had sensed it. Artemis's eyes scanned the trees around them. Holly was probably among them, watching their every move. Apparently Butler thought the same thing, because he kept walking forward without a second glance and he would only do that if he thought that Artemis was in no danger or if there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

Artemis saw a patch of air shimmering _very_ slightly behind one nearby tree and he surmised that it was indeed Holly. It was the right shape and size to be, and the LEP always sent her to deal with 'Fowl matters'. He was almost disappointed that he could see the shimmer. The Section Eight suits had been much better quality. Then Artemis chuckled; he had noticed the holly tree she was hiding behind.

Butler heard him. "What is it, Artemis?"

Artemis dropped the amusement on his face. "Oh, it's nothing Butler. Just _ignore_ it."

Butler nodded, understanding the true meaning behind the words.

Meanwhile, the Cullens looked like statues, trying to catch every word.

"What is it?" Bella asked them. "What did he say?"

"Listen to that," Edward suddenly said. "There's someone else outside."

"I thought I only heard Fowl and his bodyguard..." Esme said.

"No, Edward's right," Carlisle said. "It's difficult to hear, but that heartbeat isn't like an animal's. It must be another human."

Bella didn't say anything as everyone else in the room fell silent, listening to Holly's heart. She didn't want to interfere.

"The heartbeat... It's a bit fast for a human, don't you think?" Alice remarked. She breathed in deeply. "Smells different, too. But it's definitely not an animal."

"Fowl probably brought it along," Emmett growled.

"He's here," Bella said, looking towards the door. Her head was spinning, there was just so much going on at the same time. She couldn't ask them about any of it though, since Fowl was right outside the front door. He didn't knock or ring the doorbell; he knew they would come anyway.

"I'll get it," Edward said. He let go of Bella's hand, walked over to the door and opened it to the criminal mastermind smiling cockily at him.

"Hello Edward," Artemis greeted him casually.

"Why don't the two of you come inside?" Edward suggested politely, using the same tone he had had at lunch.

"Thank you. I suppose you've told the rest of your _family_, then?"

Edward stiffened. "Yes, they are aware of you coming to visit us."

"Oh, are we both feigning ignorance then?" Artemis said, stepping inside with Butler right by his side. "I would have thought you would have wanted to ask me a few questions, but if that's what you want..."

The three of them had entered the living room and Butler felt his heart sink as he looked around. According to what little information Artemis had given him, they didn't stand a chance against _one_ vampire, let alone seven. The weapons he had on him suddenly seemed useless. If it came down to a fight, he doubted even the LEP officer outside would be able to occupy them for a few seconds.

Butler glanced down at his employer, who didn't seem the slightest bit fazed. He wondered how Artemis could remain so calm despite the danger they were obviously in. Butler himself was trying his best to ignore all his instincts telling him to get out of there.

At the same time, all the Cullens besides Alice and Edward were also taken by surprise when they realized the small boy entering the room was the picture of horror they had previously conjured in their minds. This teenager, who was supposedly eighteen, was obviously younger and smaller than any of them, even the pixie-like Alice.

The man standing beside him, however, was almost frightening. Even though he was human and was no match against seven vampires, Fowl's bodyguard had a very threatening air about his appearance.

"Oh? The entire family's here? I don't know if I deserve such a welcome," continued Artemis, analyzing each Cullen individually. "No need to introduce yourselves, I'm fairly sure I know all your names. Mine, as you may have guessed, is Artemis Fowl and this is Butler, my- ah, butler. Now would be the opportune time to ask any questions you might have."

"Actually, Fowl, we _do_ have several questions for you," Edward said, glancing at Carlisle.

"Let's start with how you discovered us," Carlisle said politely, staring Artemis straight in the eye.

"Yeah, that's a good start," Emmett said, "and depending on your answer, we'll decide whether or not to kill you."

Bella flinched at the thought, but Artemis seemed oblivious to his threats.

"Hmm... Go ahead, if you want. I have to warn you, though, there are microscopic GPS devices hidden on myself and Butler. When one of our hearts stops beating, it sends our last location to all of my family members, as well as several of my associates. As you may have noticed, there is also someone outside that has been tracking my movements. They will also be suspicious if I do not leave the building. Several other procedures have been taken as well, but I doubt you can stand to hear much more, so I'll stop right there."

The Cullens and Bella immediately and simultaneously spared a glance at Edward's expression, as he would be able to tell whether or not the boy was lying. Edward's face remained statue-like, not betraying anything, and was fixed upon Artemis.

"Oh, how rude of me," Esme said suddenly. "Carlisle, despite the circumstances we are still the hosts, aren't we? Here, let's all sit down... Is there anything we can get you two?"

Artemis was almost taken aback by Esme's polite and gentle demeanour. "Ah, no we're quite fine thank you." Butler would kill him if Artemis were to drink or eat something given to him by the 'enemy', though Artemis could tell from her tone of voice that Esme was quite sincere.

Butler remained silent by Artemis's side, following him as they all sat down around a table in the living room. He noticed the challenging glare he was receiving from the muscular vampire across from him, but ignored the provocations and focused on his principal.

Edward, meanwhile, was also focusing on Artemis. It had been difficult earlier that day at lunch to read his mind, but now it was practically impossible. Artemis seemed almost to be purposefully confusing him by overanalyzing the things around him, thinking about home, thinking about vampires, thinking about his plan... but his thoughts jumped randomly between these things, making them impossible to decipher. It didn't help that he was mentally humming what seemed to be an original composition and was thinking up several haikus to describe the atmosphere.

However, Edward couldn't help but feel like these thoughts were all a cover-up for something else. As if Artemis knew Edward could look into his mind and was trying to prevent him from seeing something...

Carlisle interrupted his train of thought. Edward had been so absorbed by the boy genius that he had forgotten about everyone else.

"So for exactly what purpose brings you to Forks, Artemis?" Carlisle asked him seriously. "I doubt you're here for sightseeing."

"Hardly," Artemis scoffed. "Perhaps your son hasn't told you, but I'm actually here for some research." There was a glint in his eyes.

"Yes, he said something like that," Carlisle admitted. "So how exactly did you find out about... us?"

_Time to test my theory,_ Artemis thought, casting a sideways glance at Edward.

_Theory?_ Edward wondered. _What is he talking about?_ However, Artemis's infuriating mind didn't elaborate any further. Or perhaps it had been drowned out by the imaginary trumpets that were now carrying the melody in his head.

Finally, Edward gave up on Artemis and focused on Butler, who was much easier to read than any of the other minds in the room at the moment.

..._what to do about the LEP officer outside, if Artemis has a plan I sure hope it works._

"I first discovered vampires three months ago," explained Artemis clearly, to make sure he had captured the interest of the fairy outside. "I met one personally, actually. It was just passing through, but didn't realize exactly how high-tech our security system was. It fell into the fifty-foot pit and was so impressed it had actually been captured that it answered several of my questions. Of course, then it escaped, but it had given me plenty to think about."

The entire story was a lie, but Butler's face betrayed nothing as he listened. His thoughts, on the other hand...

"Nice story, Fowl," Edward said dryly. "How long did it take for you to come up with that?"

"You don't believe me?" Artemis said innocently. "Was there a flaw somewhere that I overlooked? My intonation and body language were perfect, do you mind telling me how you decided I was lying?"

"Your tale is a bit far-fetched, that's all," Edward replied readily. _It's not because I read your bodyguard's mind or anything-_

"Oh really? I don't suppose it's because of your ability to read minds now, is it?" Artemis pronounced slowly, letting the words sink in.

Butler, Jasper, and Esme all simultaneously drew in a sharp intake of breath, while everyone else in the room had an expression of shock on their faces.

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" Emmett snarled. "Who sent you? Was it the Volturi?"

Artemis frowned. "And here I thought you were supposed to be a group of friendly vampires. I'm working entirely on my own... for now, that is. If you don't believe me, ask him." He nodded towards Edward.

"You mean to tell us that you figured out totally on your own about Edward's ability?" Alice said suspiciously. "You haven't even been in Forks for an entire day yet."

"It was an unlikely theory mostly based on instinct. All of your reactions confirmed it for me. I'm very observant, you see," Artemis was now talking directly to Edward. "Your body language, your facial expressions, your pauses... they gave you away too easily. I'll admit you're an excellent actor, Edward, but it's almost impossible not to slip up a few times when you're attempting to read _my_ thoughts," Artemis said. "What did you think of them?"

Surprisingly, Edward laughed. "You have one of the most interesting minds I have ever come across, Fowl." A flash of annoyance crossed his face. "However, your tastes in interior designing are a little extravagant, I'm afraid."

Artemis looked at the room once more. "A pity you think that way. This place has so much potential. But enough of this. I'm sure you have several more questions and I'm afraid I don't have much time."

"How long will you be staying here?" Carlisle asked immediately.

"It could be a few weeks, or it could be a few months, depending on how things go," he replied. Alice groaned quietly.

"What kind of research do you need? We can answer your questions, if it gets you to leave any sooner," Emmett said, not bothering with tact.

"I'm afraid it's mostly observational work," Artemis smiled. "There is nothing much you can do, besides act as you usually do so I can be as accurate as possible."

"Are you planning on telling anyone about us?" Jasper asked him. Butler stiffened, feeling the stares of everyone in the room upon them.

"Believe me, I'm excellent at keeping secrets about things like this," Artemis assured him. Somehow he managed not to look towards the window, where he knew Holly must have been watching.

"I have a question," Bella said with narrowed eyes. "What else are you hiding?"

Artemis looked at the human questioningly. "Why, many things. Like yourselves. Can you be more specific?"

"You can start by explaining that... thing that you brought along with you," Rosalie said.

Artemis's eyebrows rose fractionally and Butler's hand twitched nervously. He silently chided himself for being so unprofessional and attempted to remain statue-like, silently admiring the Cullens for being able to be so still.

"You noticed that? Amazing," Artemis breathed, fascinated.

These vampires were indeed nothing like the... Artemis cut his own thoughts off forcibly, something that most humans could not do. Butler kept his mind as blank as he could manage, meditating like they had taught him at Madame Ko's Personal Protection Academy.

"An invention of mine," Artemis said smoothly in a low voice, knowing that by now Butler would be attempting meditation and it would be unwise to distract him.

"You created something... alive?" Bella asked him, half skeptical and half disgusted.

"A prototype. It was a sort of test for the abilities of vampires," Artemis lied.

One of Butler's cell phones then began to vibrate in his inner right breast pocket, disturbing his meditation but providing a distraction. Artemis noticed too.

"The right breast pocket? That'll be Mother, then," Artemis sighed. He addressed the Cullens and Bella. "We'll have to talk more extensively at a later time, I'm afraid. It's been a nice chat."

"We still have more to ask you, Fowl," Emmett growled.

"I won't be going anywhere for quite a while. We have much time for questions. However, not right now, if you please. Family before business, you know."

The Cullens couldn't exactly argue with that, and so after a few mumbled goodbyes, Artemis and his massive bodyguard left.

"I think I am going to go into my room now and never come out," Alice mumbled, dragging her feet up the stairs like a zombie.

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**Hope this chapter didn't disappoint.. Please review! :3  
**


	3. The Council

**wow, i dunno why i never uploaded this, i just found it and it was finished around the same time as ch.2 haha.. (sorry?)**

**btw, i'm pretty much done with fanfiction, i just haven't felt motivated anymore to write my stories, so don't be expecting too many chapters. To tell you the truth, i kind of forget what i was planning for this story anyway :/ details after the story! enjoy!**

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_**"There was never a genius without a tincture of madness." -Aristotle**_

**Chapter 3**

"Holy Frond," Holly couldn't help but whisper in her helmet. "They knew I was here. They can read minds. They're- they're vampires! Foaly, have you found anything yet?"

"My hands are still typing away looking up everything they can, but I think my mind has gone into shock. If that vampire were to read it right now, he wouldn't hear a thing," came the centaur's reply. "Oh wait, I think I'm getting something. Yeah, I think I'm over the surprise. Now _get out of there pronto_, Holly!"

"Artemis and I are going to have a little chat," Holly said darkly. She followed the two humans out of the Cullen's property, not listening to the rest of Foaly's mindless babble.

00000

"I am terribly sorry Mother, but the video call function doesn't seem to be working- I have no idea why," Artemis insisted, his highly advanced cell phone pressed against his ear. "But I assure you, Mother, we are enjoying ourselves immensely. This alpine resort is beautiful."

"I don't know what you're up to right now, Arty, but- just stay safe, OK?" Angeline Fowl told him.

"You know I will, Mother," Artemis said. "How could I not be, with Butler by my side?"

"All right," Angeline sighed. "Goodbye, darling."

"Have fun with Father, Mother." By the time he hung up, he and Butler were almost at the mansion already.

"Is it really alright with you to lie to Mrs. Fowl?" Butler asked, looking at him through the rear-view mirror.

"No, actually it is not," Artemis said, his brow furrowed as though he really was being bothered by something. "I feel terrible about it, but I'm afraid it's necessary."

His bodyguard frowned. "The way you were speaking on the phone- and the way you're speaking now- it seems a bit strange. Is there something wrong, Artemis?"

Artemis's muscles tensed involuntarily, though he tried his best to fight it.

"It's... nothing, Butler." Artemis paused and then added, "I'm fine." Though Butler didn't question him any further, Artemis couldn't shake off his feeling of nervousness. He opened and closed his phone five times, just for good luck, and by the time they reached the mansion, he felt perfectly fine again.

Butler checked the surroundings several times quickly before opening the car door for his principal. Artemis stepped out, looking incredibly preoccupied. Then, as if remembering something, his head snapped up and looked behind them.

"Ah, I apologize, Captain Short," he said suddenly. "I nearly forgot about you."

"Nice greeting," the heat haze replied. Captain Holly Short appeared seemingly out of thin air and landed on the ground. She immediately wished she hadn't. Up close, Artemis seemed sicklier than ever, and now it was both Mud Men that towered over her. She removed her helmet so she could glare at the younger one properly.

She turned to Butler with a smile. "Hey, Butler. How you doing?"

Butler chuckled. "Oh, the usual, as you can see. Chasing vampires across the globe, nothing extraordinary."

"Are you not curious as to how I knew you were there, Captain?" Artemis asked her.

"Did you _want_ me to hear all that, then?" Holly asked him suspiciously, whipping back to him. "Is this all some fancy practical joke, Fowl?"

"You thought that it was?" Artemis said, amused. He vaguely realized he was talking in fives again. He'd thought he'd gotten rid of the habit, but it appeared to have resurfaced during his conversation with his mother. "Come, let's enter the house. You, Captain, have my permission."

Assured that she wasn't going to vomit on her shoes from entering without the owner's consent, she followed her two human friends into the mansion.

Artemis sat behind his desk in his study while Butler got a chair for Holly to sit across from him. Butler himself stood dutifully beside his master.

"So what are you planning, Artemis?" Holly said, crossing her arms and legs. "Have you already gone back to your old ways?"

Artemis's nose twitched minutely. _Calm yourself_, he reminded himself. _Don't let the guilt take over your brain._

"What are you referring to? Extorting gold from mythical creatures?"Artemis questioned innocently. His fingers were tapping involuntarily on his desk. He'd been holding it in all day, and now of all times his Atlantis complex seemed to be taking its toll on him.

He'd diagnosed himself with Atlantis Complex about a month ago. Before then, he'd never planned to disturb the vampires. However, the symptoms seemed to be quickening at an alarming rate and he was in need of a new project to occupy his mind for a while until he could find a way to cure himself.

Artemis was also worried that perhaps even the vampires wouldn't be able to delay the rapid deterioration of his genius mind. Just the other day, he'd caught himself arranging his _thoughts_ in fives. His paranoia was getting worse as well. Even now, he couldn't help but feel incredibly nervous with Butler behind his back. The elf in front of him, too, could have hundreds of reasons for wanting him dead.

He pressed the pads of his left index finger and thumb together until they turned white. This helped him concentrate slightly better, and at this point he needed to focus. This was a crucial part in continuing his project- which in turn was crucial in not going insane.

"I thought you were trying to be a better person now, Artemis," Holly said, more softly now, unfolding her arms. Her expression was definitely less hostile. "I just want to know what you're planning. Do I have to take you down to Haven?"

Artemis sighed. "Butler, fetch us a drink... please." He said the last word forcefully, as if his mouth was having difficulty putting another word into the sentence. Butler nodded, still trying to figure out Artemis himself, and left the room.

"What's wrong with you, Artemis?" Holly said concernedly. "You're speaking strangely, you look like the living dead, and your fingers haven't stopped moving since we came in."

_More observant than I'd thought_, Artemis noticed. _Need to be more careful..._

"I suppose meeting with vampires does that to a person," he replied, not quite meeting the elf's eyes.

He set up a video call between himself and Foaly, since he knew the centaur was most likely listening in on their conversation anyway. Foaly's face appeared on the screen, which Artemis turned sideways so Holly could see too.

"About the vampires, Mud Boy. I've been stalking them for the past dozen minutes or so, and they don't seem to be a hoax. So how did you find them? No need to say when, you paid for this house about six months ago."

"Six months?" Holly stared at him. "You hid this from us for_ six months_?"

"Would you have believed me if I'd simply told you that vampires existed? No, I had to show you so you could see it with your own eyes," Artemis answered. "As for how I discovered them..."

_The Cullens' house..._

Edward was explaining the same thing to his family, based on what he had seen in Artemis's bodyguard's mind. He didn't bother calling down Alice from her room since she was likely listening anyway.

"All right, so about six months ago Fowl ran a search looking for a mansion owned by another family of Cullens that he met personally at some gala," he started.

"You can do that?" Bella frowned.

"Not legally, of course," Jasper said shrewdly.

Edward shook his head. "He hacked into government satellites and even improved their capabilities." Bella gaped in amazement. "Anyways, by mere chance our house turned up. He was about to dismiss it, but- like I said- he'd improved the filters in the satellites, and he'd noticed that while there were several people leaving the house, they had no heat signatures."

"Of all the damn luck," Emmett groaned, putting his head in his hands.

"It gets worse. We were out hunting that day. Even though the trees blocked most of it, he saw enough. So after that he spied on us a bit, did some background research on us," Edward continued, now looking at Bella, "and came to the same conclusion you did."

"When was this?" Carlisle wondered.

"Only a week after he got back from- wherever he'd been for three years. It wasn't very clear."

"Artemis Fowl is truly the most mind-boggling human I have ever met," Carlisle said. "Seventeen! And to have broken into government property so easily..."

"There's some good news too," Edward said. Everyone stared at him. Good news in a situation like this? "Alice just predicted a thunderstorm tomorrow. Bella, you can be the first human to watch a vampire family play baseball. That is, if you're free."

In spite of it all, everyone in the room smiled at least a little. Nothing like a good game of baseball to distract you from the impeding danger of a seventeen year old criminal mastermind.

Back in Artemis's study, no one seemed to be questioning the legality of what Artemis had done. It was the norm, actually.

"So _why_ are you telling us this, Mud Boy?" Foaly asked thoughtfully, leaning closer to the monitor. "You need something, don't you?"

"How well you know me. Actually, I need to borrow some of your equipment, Foaly."

"For what? The vampires?" Foaly said. Then he became distracted. "You know, I still can't say that without feeling stupid. Vampires? Am I dreaming, Holly? Please say I am."

"You are in fact fully conscious, Foaly," Artemis said in amusement. "And yes, I intend to use them for my research. In exchange, I will share with you everything I find out about them."

"You want us to _give_ you LEP recon equipment? Are you nuts?" Holly said.

"_All_ of this is nuts," Foaly muttered. "How could we never have known about them? I don't believe they've gotten past all our surveillance."

"I believe there are very few of them, which would be why you've never been able to find them," Artemis assured him. "After all, they do feed on humans regularly, and to remain inconspicuous for all these centuries must mean there cannot be many of them."

Holly covered her mouth with her hands. In all the excitement, she'd almost forgotten what vampires were known for- killing people and drinking their blood. She suddenly felt nauseous.

Foaly cleared his throat and continued, "Anyway, now that we know that they exist, we need to get started right away on evaluating them. It looks like we won't have a choice, Holly. Artemis is probably our fastest way to find out more about the vampires."

"So that's a yes, then?" Artemis said.

"This still seems fishy to me," Holly grumbled, trying not to think of a vampire's diet.

"I assure you, my intentions are a hundred percent genuine this time," Artemis told them.

"Excuse me if I don't believe you, Mr. Fowl," Holly sneered. "A memory seems to keep cropping up involving you kidnapping me for a tonne of gold."

"That was years ago, Captain Short," Artemis waved it off, though on the inside he could feel the guilt inside him squirming- caused by his current illness, no doubt. "You and I both know much has happened since then."

And of course, the first thing that popped into Holly's head was from about half a year ago, when she had kissed Artemis in the gorilla's cage. _Don't you _dare_ blush, Holly,_ she told herself automatically. Scolding herself didn't work. She blushed anyway.

She didn't know whether or not Artemis was thinking the same thing, but if he was, he didn't show it.

"All right, you've made some progress," she admitted. "But are you telling me you don't want anything to gain from this?"

"I never said anything of the sort," Artemis said, smiling. "There will undoubtedly be leftovers from the equipment that I need to use to conduct my research. Remember how much I was able to do with just several LEP helmets?"

Indeed, the LEP helmets had helped create the anti-shield goggles that Butler used to take down an entire fairy SWAT team, sonic filter earplugs that saved them from a fairy sonix grenade during a deal with Jon Spiro, and several of the parts played a huge role in the invention of the C Cube.

"Foaly, this is a bad idea," she warned him. "I think-"

They never found out what Holly thought, because at that moment they were interrupted by someone banging on a door extremely loudly.

"I think it's coming from your side, Foaly," Artemis said. Foaly groaned.

"Come in, come in!" he yelled in the direction of the door. He typed something rapidly in his computer and the door swung open automatically. "Make it snappy, would you?"

Just then, Butler came in with the drinks, but no one noticed. The small elf on Foaly's side of the screen was looking extremely panicked. They could tell right away that he hadn't merely come to inform Foaly of a baby whose diapers needed changing.

"It's the Council members, sir! A roof caved in on all of them!" he squeaked.

"_What?_" Butler was confused, Holly was in shock, and Artemis raised his eyebrows- which, for him, also meant he was extremely surprised.

"Three have already been pronounced dead!"

"This can't be happening..." Foaly gaped. "First vampires, now this?"

"Vampires?"

"It's nothing. Is Commander Kelp there?" Foaly asked. The elf nodded, looking petrified. He then noticed whose face was on the giant screen in front of Foaly.

"Holy Frond, is that a Mud Man?" he said in awe, apparently distracted.

"You can leave now," the centaur hinted, not even looking at him anymore. The elf gulped and obeyed eagerly. He knew what Foaly and his weapons were capable of. One of his co-workers had once gotten on the wrong side of the centaur, and he ended up falling into a trap hole prototype.

Foaly hastily set up a communication link between himself and Commander Trouble Kelp.

"Trouble. What's going on?" Holly, Butler, and Artemis watched silently.

"The members were having a luncheon together, and the roof collapsed on them!" Trouble exclaimed, sounding weary. "They think it might have been planned. The roof was perfectly fine before it self-destructed."

"Any survivors?"

"So far, all but three. Another two of them are in critical condition, but the rest seem fine I think. Wing Commander Vinyayá's already recovered and is actually barking orders at everyone at the moment."

They listened to Trouble describing current events for a few hours. In the end, four Fairy Council members died and were replaced almost instantly. Trouble eventually had to leave, and when he did, no one quite knew what to say.

"I- I don't believe this," Holly finally said. It was the first thing anyone in the room had said for a while. "This can't be happening. First the vampires, now this?" She turned to Artemis as a thought occurred to her. "You didn't do this, did you? Please, say you didn't."

Artemis had a cold look on his face. "I have done many things I am not proud of, Captain, but murder is not one of them. Though I admit, the entire thing couldn't have happened at a worse time. Now it is up to several brand-new Council members to decide what to do with the whole vampire situation." He was getting nervous again. His fingers began tapping out multiples of five.

The LEP was efficient. By now the mess had been cleaned up, the new Fairy Council was already active, and families of the dead Council members were preparing their recycling ceremonies. In fact, a Council meeting was to take place in the next ten minutes.

"I'll have to tell them about the vampires at the meeting," Foaly said. "And I need clearance from them to give you the weapons too. Let me tell you right now, don't expect to like the results. New Council members are the worst."

"So do you know anything about the new members, Foaly?" Artemis asked. _Four new Council members. Death._ His foot started to tap out patterns too.

"Negative. I just know that there are more where they came from. There are back-ups for any position in the LEP." Foaly paused. "Except maybe mine. I'm pretty much irreplaceable."

Another knock on Foaly's door. "Sir? They want you downstairs. The meeting will start soon."

They watched Foaly grab a few things off his desk hurriedly. "Wish me luck," he said nervously, smoothing back his hair.

"Good luck, Foaly," Butler said.

"Break a leg," Holly said.

"Do try and put me in a good light, please," Artemis said. With that, the screen turned black. Artemis glanced at his watch. Six o'clock. "Holly, you might as well stay for dinner while we wait for Foaly to return."

Holly, who had been staring at the empty screen, snapped back to her senses and stood up. She hadn't realized how long she'd been sitting, and she had to stretch her legs a bit. "No, I'll get going. I'll hear from him personally."

"You may have to return here anyway," Artemis said. Holly had already begun walking away, but he caught her attention.

"What? Why?"

Artemis looked grim. "I wasn't expecting new Council members. They may ask you to take me down with you to Haven for questioning."

Holly hadn't thought of that. "All right then," she conceded. "Do you have anything decent to eat?"

"Go lie down on that couch; you must be tired after all that's happened. Butler will find you a salad, I'm sure."

Indeed, Holly was exhausted. She didn't even remark how strange it was that Artemis was trying to be hospitable towards her.

In reality, this was just a way for Artemis to distract both Holly and Butler for a while. Once he could hear Holly snoring away, and he was sure Butler was in the kitchen, he allowed himself exactly five minutes to let his compulsion take control.

Artemis Fowl almost looked crazy. He arranged positively everything on the desk, started muttering to himself, organized his computer files in sets of five, adjusted the blinds to the perfect angle, and a variety of other things the former Artemis would have been ashamed to see himself obsessing over.

He found himself a little scared of the extent of which his disease controlled him, but that was what his research on vampires was for. To distract him long enough to find a cure for his compulsion. After that was done, he would go back to Fowl Manor and spend some more time with his family, as he'd promised. Unless, of course...

A sudden thought occurred to him. It was unlikely, but even so- why take chances?

Butler re-entered the room with the salad, but didn't wake up Holly. By then, Artemis had gotten over his momentary lapse, and was feverishly working on something else.

"Is there anything else you need me to do, sir?" Butler asked him. Artemis paused.

"Not for now, old friend," his master replied slowly. "Perhaps you should lay down a little, too. The next few hours could get hectic."

Butler did sit down- it had already been an extremely eventful day- but he didn't fall asleep. Not at this critical moment. Artemis's warning made him even more nervous. He didn't know what his principal was working on, but he watched him working furiously on it for two hours straight, which was about double the time it took for him to forge perfect copies of the Silence Dogood letters.

After the two-hour mark, Holly woke up with a yawn. At first, she was confused as to where she was, but the day's events soon came back to her. _So it wasn't all a dream then,_ she thought disappointedly. Then, _Ooh, a salad._

The pesticide-free salad cheered her up a bit. The ones in the Lower Elements didn't taste nearly as good when they weren't grown in natural sunlight. She munched on the veggies as she watched Artemis concentrating on something on his computer and knew that it wouldn't do any good to interrupt him in that state. Not even a minute after she'd finished the last of her salad, Artemis finally leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"It's finished," he said, mainly to himself. "I'll just burn it to a disc then."

"What were you working on?" Holly asked him from across the study. "Some genius plan to kidnap a vampire?"

"Hilarious, Holly," Artemis said, glaring at her. "Actually, if all goes well I won't even be needing this. However, it doesn't hurt to be careful."

"And you're not going to explain, I guess...?"

"Some other time," Artemis said, his eyes back on the screen. "Foaly's back."

Butler and Holly immediately jumped up from their seats and went over to Artemis's desk.

"What's the good word, Foaly?" Butler said. "And why did it take so long?"

Foaly didn't quite meet their eyes. "Yeah, the meeting was way longer than usual. I was using all my persuasive efforts, but- well, anyways. I've got good news and bad news. What do you want to hear first?"

"Good news," Artemis said.

"Actually, it would make more sense if I told you the bad news first, but whatever I guess." Foaly took a deep breath. "The good news is, they're going to let Butler keep his memories." Before either Butler or Holly understood what this meant, Foaly went on, "The bad news is that all the new Council members plus a couple of the old ones want your mind wiped, Mud Boy. Right now."

* * *

**Srry for the cliffhanger that may or may not be resolved, yall!**

**like i said, this story will MOST LIKELY be finished, unless i feel the creative juices flowin' again some time soon :P**

**So, this also means people have full permission to continue this, if they'd like, or take ideas from this, or write another version similar. Just make sure to CREDIT me please, and i'd like you to send me a message too so i can read it :)**

**That's all for now, folks! maybe i'll write again next week, maybe not till the world ends!**

**But keep reviewing peeps, it's great to know i have readers :D  
**


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